The Giants are reportedly considering adjusting the outfield configuration at Oracle Park

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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 6: The San Francisco Giants take the mound after their 6-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, April 6, 2019. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The San Francisco Giants won World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014 with elite pitching and strong defense, but the sport of baseball looks much different at the end of this decade than it did at the beginning.

The Giants have been reluctant to shift their organizational philosophy to adapt to the changes, yet it’s possible the franchise could soon take a significant step toward doing so. For the first time in two decades, the Giants plan to explore the possibility of altering the dimensions of Oracle Park to make the stadium more hitter-friendly.

President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told The Athletic the Giants are “opening up to the discussion” of adjusting the outfield fences as the organization will discuss ideas such as moving the right-center field fence in and changing the locations for the home and visiting bullpens, which are currently located in foul territory.

Changes to the outfield dimensions would be welcomed by many of the team’s hitters including first baseman Brandon Belt, who has had dozens of extra-base hits taken away from him through his career due to the vast territory in right center field at Oracle Park. While Belt said the Giants “won’t see me argue” with adjustments to the park, he wondered if the team might lose some of its identity if changes come to fruition.

“If they want a pitching and defense-oriented team, then keeping the park the same will probably be helpful,” Belt said. “But if they want more homers, if that’s what they want for the team, then they’ll probably have to change the dimensions a bit. I’d like to see the bullpens move out of the field of play anyways, so the logical place to put them seems like Triples Alley.”

Last April, Giants outfielder Mac Williamson suffered a devastating concussion after tumbling over the bullpen mounds down the left field line. The head injury changed the course of Williamson’s season and robbed the Giants of one of their best power threats, and it also forced the organization to confront the dangers associated with the location of the bullpen mounds.

Oracle Park is one of just three major league stadiums where the bullpens are situated in playable territory, making them an obvious hazard for outfielders tracking flyballs in foul ground.

Giants right fielder Steven Duggar said Tuesday that regardless of where he is positioned on the field, he always takes note of how far he is standing from the bullpen mounds.

“It’s in the back of your head, it’s something that I always like to do as a reference point, just how many steps is it going to take for me to get to this ball,” Duggar said. “That’s when I start to peek, toward the end of that, take your eye off of it for a second just to see where it is. We’re aware of it for sure.”

Though Belt has limited experience in the outfield, he said he’s always aware of the bullpen mounds when chasing flyballs along the left field line.

It’s possible no left-handed hitter has been more negatively impacted by Oracle Park’s existing dimensions than Belt, who has never hit more than 18 home runs in season. The first baseman is considered the Giants’ biggest power threat, but it’s difficult for Belt to hit at his home park thanks to the second-deepest right center field wall (Coors Field) in the league.

Belt said he’s happy to play in a tough hitter’s park because he loves the organization, but admitted it took several years for him to overcome the mental hurdle of losing hits due to the stadium’s dimensions.

“It happened to me when I was younger and I had to learn to get used to it, it could not only put you in slumps but it can prolong slumps as well,” Belt said. “Because mentally, you know what should be a hit, you know what should be a home run. When it doesn’t happen time and time again, mentally that’s hard to overcome.”

When the Giants built Oracle Park, their lineup boasted the best left-handed power-hitter in the game’s history and an owner in Peter Magowan who fell in love with the outfield configuration and the park’s aesthetic. Barry Bonds had no trouble reaching the seats beyond Triples Alley, but opponents did, creating a perceived home-field advantage.

Bonds launched 160 homers in eight seasons at the ballpark Magowan built, but no other Giants player has hit more than 60 (Pablo Sandoval) since it opened in 2000. The Giants have actually out-homered their opponents 1,204 to 1,171 at home over the last two decades, but since Bonds played his last game, opponents have hit 680 homers at Oracle Park compared to the 576 hit by San Francisco players.

One of the primary reasons the Giants have been out-slugged in recent years is the team’s inability to attract free-agent position players. The Giants haven’t signed a free-agent hitter to a contract worth more than $50 million since Aaron Rowand agreed to a five-year, $60-million deal in 2007, which is a byproduct of playing at a ballpark that suppresses offense.

The team’s homegrown position players are so accustomed to playing on teams built around pitching and defense that even its youngest players have an appreciation for the identity that made the Giants one of baseball’s most revered franchises earlier this decade.

“From what I’ve grown accustomed to, pitching and defense has been our calling card for awhile,” Duggar said. “Before I was in the organization, I remember watching these guys and they were in the World Series with pitching and defense and timely hitting.”

It’s too soon to know how seriously the Giants will consider amending outfield dimensions and if free agents will show a greater desire to play in San Francisco in the future. What is clear from early discussions is that under Zaidi’s lead, the Giants will entertain a variety of ideas, even ones once considered extreme.

From stadium dimensions to the organizational philosophy of how to build a winner, every element of the way the Giants conduct business is now under a microscope.

Kerry Crowley is a multimedia beat reporter covering the San Francisco Giants. He spent his early days throwing curveballs in San Francisco’s youth leagues before studying journalism at Arizona State University. Kerry has covered every level of baseball, from local preps to the Cape Cod League, and is now on a quest to determine which Major League city serves the best cheeseburger.